Mother's Day Garden Tea Party

The story of my birth is truly one of my favorites. The following are three things about this story that I don’t think my mother will ever let me forget:

1.I was a week late in unforgivable July heat. Did I say unforgivable? I meant blistering, sweltering, “you have to be kidding me that I’m pregnant right now” heat…
2.Around this time my father had a prescheduled fishing trip planned with buddies and consequently I was to be induced the morning of July 9th so he could make the trip. Good Lord, Can you imagine scheduling your induction around a fishing trip so your husband could leave you with a four year old and a newborn?
3.When I finally did decide to announce my presence (otherwise know as breaking my mother’s water) I did so the night before the scheduled induction while she was wearing her favorite khaki and white linen stripped pantsuit; therefore announcing to the world that I was in fact on my own time schedule and that no one would decide differently—something she insists to be true about me today. What I would do to see her in this pantsuit today…

For these three reasons and for many more we decided to make the best effort we could to celebrate our Mothers this Mother’s Day Weekend. We wanted something fresh, something classy, and something that didn’t have Hallmark spread all over it. In the end we decided upon a tea party set in Jamie's beutiful garden. We made seasonally friendly food, requested garden party attire including silly old hats, and took a stab at a recreation of a black & white photo worthy of the Kentucky Derby.


Mother’s Day Menu

Beverages
Hot English breakfast tea served with cream, honey, and sugar
Champagne bellinis
Vodka mint lemonade

Tea Sandwiches
Roast beef, gorgonzola, and arugula
Pesto, tomato, and bocconcini mozzarella
Dijon egg salad with fresh dill

Garden Salsa served with Chips
Pico de Gallo meets the garden's fresh herbs and spring vegetables

Crudités Platter with Trio of Dips
Blanched sugar snap peas, green beans, and broccoli, fresh cucumber, carrot, and red & yellow bell pepper served with green Caesar dip, Thai peanut suace, and balsamic hummus

Curried Deviled Eggs
Creamy, savory, and a little spicy but not too devilish...

Gazpacho served in English Cucumber Cups
The staple from Andalusia region in southern Spain is a perfect compliment to any garden party

Teatime Layered Coconut Cake with Coconut Meringue Buttercream Frosting
Need we say more? And yes, it really was that good...


To Our Mothers Madeline, Julie, and Betty and to all mothers out there: Thank you for making it so easy to celebrate you.